Flávio Bolsonaro, a conservative senator and son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, faces a police investigation for alleged corruption and money laundering tied to the financing of a biographical film about his father. According to court documents obtained by Agence France-Presse (AFP), the Supreme Court-authorized probe threatens to disrupt the final weeks of the October 2026 presidential election campaign, where Flávio Bolsonaro remains locked in a tight race with left-wing incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The Financing of ‘Dark Horse’ and Banco Master Ties
The investigation centers on the funding of “Dark Horse,” an upcoming feature film depicting former president Jair Bolsonaro as a figure who “fought the system,” starring American actor Jim Caviezel. According to statements made by Flávio Bolsonaro in May and reported by AFP, the senator solicited and secured several million dollars for the production from Daniel Vorcaro, the head of Banco Master.
Police documents show that Flávio Bolsonaro held in-person meetings with Vorcaro to discuss the financing structure. Furthermore, investigators are examining a $12.3 million international transfer between a company linked indirectly to Vorcaro and an entity connected to an attorney representing Eduardo Bolsonaro, another son of the former president who lives in the United States. Federal investigators are working to determine whether those funds were actually used to finance Eduardo Bolsonaro, who was previously convicted in Brazil of pressuring the judiciary during his father’s trial.
Vorcaro’s financial institution, Banco Master, accumulated more than six billion euros in debt before collapsing into liquidation. Despite the banking scandal, Flávio Bolsonaro defended the transaction during a campaign stop in Manaus, stating that the film operates on completely legal, private financing and asserting that he has “nothing to hide.”
Supreme Court Friction and Political Fallout
The investigation was formally authorized in July by Supreme Court Justice André Mendonça, who previously served as justice minister under Jair Bolsonaro. The high court itself has been embroiled in an institutional crisis, with friction mounting between Justice Mendonça and fellow magistrates Alexandre de Moraes and Flávio Dino, the latter of whom served as justice minister under President Lula. The dispute temporarily led to the suspension of the director of the Federal Police before he was reinstated.
In an effort to de-escalate tensions within the court, Supreme Court President Edson Fachin requested that Justice Mendonça lift the secrecy surrounding the broader Banco Master inquiry. Partial unsealing of those records on September 11, 2026, brought the investigation into Flávio Bolsonaro out into the open.
Impact on the October 2026 Presidential Race
With a probable second round of the presidential election on October 25, 2026, the timing of the corruption probe introduces fresh volatility to an already polarized electorate. Mayra Goulart, a political scientist at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, told AFP that corruption allegations carry heavy weight among Brazilian voters. While the scandal reinforces existing voter fatigue toward President Lula’s Workers’ Party—owing to Lula’s historical, later-annulled conviction—Goulart noted that accumulating evidence against Flávio Bolsonaro could ultimately sway undecided voters.